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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

I have always said that if I could ever meet one person of history that it would be the mother of Thomas Edison, because I feel like my son carries many of Edison's traits. Pair that with the fact that in my lifetime, I have seen a lot of changes to our society that has made me really want to instill in my children history from a Christian perspective, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review Heroes of History- Thomas Edison from YWAM Publishing. We also received a two-part study guide to accompany our reading.

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew had the opportunity to review these titles:

YWAM stands for Youth With A Mission, and YWAM Publishing is an extension of this ministry. YWAM Publishing has the goal of encouraging Christians to make a difference in today's world. The Heroes of History series fits right into this mission by presenting historical figures who inspire us.

The authors, Janet and Geoff Benge, are husband and wife. She was an elementary teacher, and he holds a history degree.

The book I received was a 203-page, 15 chapter paperback book and a 77-page part 1, 4 page printouts on part 2 downloadable pdf curriculum guide. The books are intended for students age 10+, but an advanced younger reader could probably handle it as well, and this story would also make a great read-aloud appropriate for the entire family.

How Did We Use It?

I was already accustomed with the excellence in which YWAM publishes their books and study materials, but I have a fascination with Thomas Edison, so I was excited to present any historic information about Edison to my children. I received the book and decided to read through it myself first before presenting it to my children, but as I began reading, my husband suggested I do it as a read-aloud. I started to read some of it aloud and realized that even my high schooler was chiming in and showing interest.

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We also received a study curriculum guide. The curriculum guide was provided to me as a pdf download and consists of two parts. The first part is a 77-page guide, and the second part is a 4-page printout that includes maps and a summary of Thomas Edison as well as a timeline. The study guide provides a layout that allows you to use it with a great deal of flexibility, however works best for you and your homeschoolers. It's more than just questions and answers about what you read. It contains meaningful quotes, and additional hands-on activity suggestions.

Of course, it helped that just a few months ago we visited Ford Village and got to see first-hand some of Edison's inventions which fit right in with some of the study guide suggestions for delving deeper into learning about Edison.

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What Did We Think?

YWAM is a publisher that will always be held in the highest esteem as far as we are concerned. They are among the first I ever ran across at a homeschool curriculum fair, and I wanted to buy every last book on their table. Their books always seem to open my eyes to things I never knew about these heroes of history. Pairing the book with the curriculum study guide really turns it into a complete unit study that incorporates all subjects. I found YWAM Heroes of History Thomas Edison Inspiration and Hard Work to be a win win!